Mechanism for drawing superimposed webs for rotary press

Abstract

A mechanism for drawing superimposed webs in a rotary press comprises: a drag roller provided between a printing press and a folding machine so as to be rotated and driven at a peripheral velocity suitably higher than that of a plate cylinder; a plurality of propeller rollers operative for selective engagement with or disengagement from the edge portions at the respective sides of a plurality of printing webs which are superimposed upon each another and wound around the outer peripheral surface of the drag roller, the propeller rollers being rotatable and provided along the outer peripheral surface of the drag roller at both ends thereof; and pressing apparatus for pressing the propeller rollers onto the edge portions of the printing webs. The plurality of printing webs fed from the printing press, superimposed upon each another and wound around the outer peripheral surface of the drag roller, are respectively pressed along their edge portions at opposite sides thereof onto the outer peripheral surface of the drag roller by the plurality of propeller rollers and are simultaneously drawn by rotating and driving the drag roller, to be supplied to the folding machine.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. For use in a rotary press installation including printing press means operative to discharge a plurality of superimposed webs at a selected discharge velocity to a folding machine, a mechanism for disposition between said printing press means and said folding machine, and operative for drawing said superimposed webs from said printing press means for transfer to said folding machine, said mechanism comprising: a drag roller having an outer peripheral surface operative to receive said superimposed webs discharged from said printing press means and having means for rotating and driving said drag roller at a peripheral velocity suitably higher than the velocity of web discharge;   a plurality of separate, independently operable rotatable propeller rollers disposed adjacent each axial end of said drag roller to cooperate with said drag roller for engaging said superimposed webs at the outer peripheral surface of said superimposed webs along the opposite edges thereof to generate friction forces between said drag and propeller rollers and said superimposed webs to induce movement of said superimposed webs by said drag roller; and   independent, selectively actuable means operative to selectively activate each of the propeller rollers to press the edges of the superimposed webs at longitudinally spaced locations against the outer peripheral surface of said drag roller adjacent the respective axial ends thereof, wherein said plurality of superimposed webs are pressed at their edge portions along opposite sides onto the outer peripheral surface of said drag roller independently by each of said propeller rollers for generating sufficient friction forces at the sites of the respective propeller rollers for simultaneously moving said webs through said mechanism through said folding machine by rotation of said drag roller.   
     
     
       2. The mechanism according to claim 1 in which said plurality of propeller rollers comprises a pair of rollers disposed at each axial end of said drag roller.